MEDIA RELEASE: North Carolinians in the Medicaid Gap Call for Increased Healthcare Access

Protect and Expand Healthcare Day on April 4th

WHAT: Protect and Expand Healthcare Advocacy Day press conference
WHEN: Tuesday, April 4, 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: NC General Assembly Press Room, 16 W. Jones Street in Raleigh
WHO: Health Action North Carolina, a coalition of dozens of organizations and individuals, including NC Justice Center, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, and NC AIDS Action Network.

RALEIGH (April 3, 2017) — Last week’s failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act gives North Carolina an opportunity to join the more than 30 states who have already expanded Medicaid coverage.

States that previously expanded have cut their uninsured rates in half. Other states, like Kansas, have already acted quickly to accept federal funding to close the Medicaid coverage gap moving forward. The ability of approximately 500,000 low-income North Carolinians to get affordable health coverage – many who reside in the poorest and most rural parts of our state – will hinge on state leaders’ decision to expand Medicaid.

On Tuesday, April 4, at 2:30 p.m., a coalition of advocates, medical providers, and patients from across the state will raise awareness of the need for increased access to healthcare and call on North Carolina legislators to close the Medicaid gap at a press conference in the North Carolina General Assembly press room. The press conference will highlight the voices of North Carolinians living in the Medicaid gap who have been harmed by the General Assembly’s failure to expand Medicaid.

Speakers will include:

• State Senator Floyd McKissick
• Dr. Erica Pettigrew
• Martha Chaires, a North Carolina mom
• Nancy Ruffner, a person in the healthcare industry who is in the Medicaid gap

“With Congress passing the buck on healthcare reform, it’s never been more important to raise awareness about the needs of hardworking North Carolina families who can’t afford health insurance,” said Ciara Zachary, health policy analyst at the North Carolina Justice Center. “The North Carolina General Assembly should move forward and close the Medicaid gap. Doing so would stimulate our economy, create jobs, and help thousands of North Carolinians access health insurance.”

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Protect and Expand Healthcare Day is organized by Health Action North Carolina, a coalition of dozens of organizations and individuals, including NC Justice Center, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, and NC AIDS Action Network.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Lee Storrow, lee@ncaan.org, 828-337-6573